Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Argentina, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia will join the BRICS bloc as full members from January 1, 2024, Brazil, Russia, China, India and South Africa.
New Delhi:
The BRICS nations will invite six countries to become full members, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said this afternoon. Those countries include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Argentina, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, and they will join Brazil, Russia, China, India and South Africa, Ramaphosa said, adding that the accession is scheduled for January 1 next year will come into force.
“We agree on the first phase of the BRICS enlargement process,” Ramaphosa told reporters in Johannesburg, adding: “We have decided to invite the Argentine Republic, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Federal Republic and the Democratic Republic of Egypt. Ethiopia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates are expected to become full members.”
“Membership will take effect on January 1, 2024.” – he said.
In a speech immediately after Ramaphosa’s statement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in Johannesburg to attend the BRICS summit, welcomed the six countries and vowed to work with other countries to add more countries and expressed interest in joining.
“I take this opportunity to welcome these six nations to the BRICS countries… and I congratulate the leaders and people of these nations.”India has strong historical ties with each of these countries and I am convinced that together we will work towards a new era of cooperation and prosperity.
Indian sources told PTI news agency that India has taken the lead in reaching a consensus on the selection of new members who could be added to the BRICS. The prime minister on Wednesday stressed India’s full support for theproject and suggested expanding cooperation between the members.
Among the proposals was a call for cooperation on space exploration, a call launched just hours after India became the fourth country to land softly on the lunar surface, after the US, China and Russia.
“India fully supports the expansion of BRICS membership and welcomes further consensual progress on this issue,” the prime minister said, while backing the reform of the multilateral financial institution, the World Trade Organization.
The BRICS countries, with more than 20 countries applying for full membership. Demands for an extension were also backed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who said “we must do it.”…accelerate the process of BRICS enlargement…Let’s join forces (and) our wisdom to make global governance more just and egalitarian.